PRINTER'S NO.

2468

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 497
Session of
2017

INTRODUCED BY McCARTER, DEAN, HENNESSEY, KINSEY, DiGIROLAMO,

MURT, VITALI, FRANKEL, BIZZARRO, MILLARD, NEILSON, SCHWEYER,
CALTAGIRONE, READSHAW, WATSON, ROZZI AND MARSICO,
SEPTEMBER 25, 2017

INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,

SEPTEMBER 25, 2017

A RESOLUTION
1 Designating the month of October 2017 as "Biodiversity Awareness
2 Month" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, According to the American Heritage Science
4 Dictionary, biodiversity is defined as "the number, variety, and
5 genetic variation of different organisms found within a
6 specified geographic region"; and
7 WHEREAS, Use of the term biodiversity can encompass several
8 aspects of the natural world; and
9 WHEREAS, Beyond the total number of different and distinct
10 species, biodiversity can be used to describe an ecosystem,
11 which refers to a system, or a group of interconnected elements,
12 formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their
13 environment; and
14 WHEREAS, Biodiversity may also refer to the distinct genetic
15 differences among a particular species in which some members
16 have developed certain unique characteristics based on their
 1 geographic location and environment establishing certain endemic
2 species that only live within a specific area; and
3 WHEREAS, According to the National Geographic Society,
4 scientists located throughout the world have identified nearly
5 1.75 million species to date, including more than 950,000
6 species of insects, 270,000 species of plants, 19,000 species of
7 fish, 9,000 species of birds, 4,000 species of mammals and
8 countless other species such as fungi, arachnids and mollusks;
9 and
10 WHEREAS, The term "biological diversity" was first used and
11 popularized by entomologist Edward O. Wilson in his 1992 book,
12 The Diversity of Life, in which he referred to the totality of
13 Earth's organisms and their interdependence based on
14 interactions between different species and their habitats; and
15 WHEREAS, The 2014 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) publication,
16 Living Planet Report, found that wildlife populations of
17 vertebrate species have declined by 52% over the past 40 years;
18 and
19 WHEREAS, The WWF has referred to the consequences of human
20 activities as being directly responsible for the alarming
21 decline and in some cases the extinction of certain species; and
22 WHEREAS, Climate change, the clearing of natural habitats due
23 to increased human development and the expansion of agriculture,
24 overfishing, poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking have all
25 contributed to the decrease in species' populations throughout
26 the world; and
27 WHEREAS, The loss of a species may have an impact beyond that
28 of the environment in which it lives; and
29 WHEREAS, The ecological loss of species may negatively impact
30 a region's economy due to a loss of tourism and may be adverse

20170HR0497PN2468 - 2 -
 1 to native people and cultures that often consider an animal or a
2 species to be of particular importance to their heritage; and
3 WHEREAS, Based on scientific models and collected data, the
4 National Audubon Society's 2014 Climate Change Report indicates
5 that of North America's 588 bird species, 314 could lose more
6 than 50% of their current climatic range by the year 2080; and
7 WHEREAS, According to the report, many of North America's
8 bird species are currently experiencing population declines for
9 a variety of reasons, including shifting climatic ranges; and
10 WHEREAS, As climatic ranges shift, native bird species could
11 face an increase in competition for food and other resources
12 from invasive species; and
13 WHEREAS, When a species with a shrinking population is faced
14 with a sudden increase in competition for resources by one or
15 more invasive species, its likelihood of survival further
16 diminishes; and
17 WHEREAS, A species whose total population decreases is less
18 likely to adapt and survive in a changing environment; and
19 WHEREAS, As a species' total population decreases, there is
20 less genetic diversity carried forward by new offspring, making
21 the overall population more susceptible to illness and disease;
22 and
23 WHEREAS, In her recently published book, The Sixth
24 Extinction: An Unnatural History, author Elizabeth Kolbert
25 states that there have been five mass extinctions in the history
26 of life on Earth; and
27 WHEREAS, According to Ms. Kolbert, the world may currently be
28 facing a possible sixth extinction, a mass die-off of a
29 multitude of species due to manmade activities; and
30 WHEREAS, It is vital that people be educated about the

20170HR0497PN2468 - 3 -
1 importance of biodiversity and commit to working toward
2 maintaining the Earth's unique and fascinating species;
3 therefore be it
4 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
5 month of October 2017 as "Biodiversity Awareness Month" in
6 Pennsylvania.

20170HR0497PN2468 - 4 -